with those that fast that I may eat with those that eat I mourne with those that mourne No hand more open to the Cause then mine and in their families none prayes longer and with louder zeale Thus when the opinion of a holy life hath cryed the goodnesse of my Conscience up my trade can lack no custome my wares can want no price my words can need no credit my actions can lack no praise If I am covetous it is interpreted providence if miserable it is counted temperance if melancholy it is construed godly sorrow if merry it is voted spirituall joy if I bee rich 't is thought the blessing of a godly life if poor supposed the fruit of conscionable dealing if I be well spoken of it is the merit of holy conversation if ill it is the malice of Malignants thus I sail with every winde and have my end in all conditions This Cloake in Summer keepes mee cool in winter warm and hides the nasty Bag of all my secret lusts Under this Cloake I walk in publik fairly with applause and in private sin-securely without offence and officiate wisely without discovery I compasse sea and land to make a Proselyte and no sooner made but hee makes me At a Fast I cry Geneva and at a Feast I cry Rome If I be poor I counterfeit abundance to save my credit if rich I dissemble poverty to save charges I most frequent Schismaticall Lectures which I find most profitable from whence learning to divulge and maintaine new doctrines they maintaine mee in suppers thrice a weeke I use the help of a lie sometimes as a Religious stratagem to uphold the Gospel and I colour oppression with Gods judgement executed upon the wicked Charity I hold an extraordinary duty therefore not ordinarily to be performed What I openly reprove abroad for my own profit that I secretly act at home for my owne pleasure His Woe BUt stay I see a handwriting in my heart damps my soul 't is charactered in these sad words Woe be to you hypocrites Mat. 23. 13. The triumphing of the wicked is short and the joy of the bypocrite is but for a moment Job 20. 5. Job 15. 34. The congregation of the hypocrites shall be desolate Psal. 11. 9. An hypocrite with his mouth destroyeth his neighbor but through knowledge shall the just be delivered Luke 12. 1. Beware of the leaven of the Phariscâ—s which is hypocrisie Job 36. 13. The hypocrites in heart heape up wrath they die in their youth and their life is amongst the unclean His Proofes Salvian de Gubern Dei l. 4. The hypocrites love not those thing they professe and what they pretend in words they disclaime in practise their sin is the more damnable because ushered in with pretence of piety having the greater guilt because it obtaines a goodly repute Hieron. Ep. Endeavour rather to be then to beâ— thought holy for what profits iâ— thee to be thought to be what thâ—â— art not and that man doubles hiâ— guilt who is not so holy as the world thinks him and counterfeitâ— that holinesse which he hath not His Soliloquie HOw like a living Sepulcher did I appeare without beautified with gold and rich inventions within nothing but a loathed corruption so long as this fair Sepulcher was clos'd it past for a curious Monument of the Builders Art but being opened by these spirituall Keyes 't is nothing but a Receptaâ—le of offensive putrefaction In what a nasty dungeon hast thou my soule so long remain'd unstifled How wer 't thou wedded to thy owne corruptions that couldst endure thy unsavoury filthinesse The world hated me because I seemed good God hated mee because I onely seemed good I had no friend but my self and this friend was my bosome enemy O my soul is there water enough in Iordan to clense thee Hath Gilead Balme enough to heale thy superannuated sores I have sinned I am convinced I am convicted Gods mercy is above Dimensions when sinners have not sinned beyond repentance art thou my soule truly penitent for thy sin Thou hast free interest in his mercy fall then my soule before his Mercy seat and he will crown thy penitence with his pardon His Prayer O God! before the brightnes of whose All-discerning eye the secrets of my hearts appeare before whose cleare omniscience the very entralls of my soul lie open who art a God of righteousnesse and truth and lovest uprightnesse in the inward parts How can I chuse but feare to thrust into thy glorious presence or move my sinfull lips to call upon that Name which I so often have dishonoured and made a Cloake to hide the basenesse of my close transgressions Lord when I look into the progresse of my filthy life my guilty conscience calls mee to so strict account and reflects to mee so large an Inventory of my presumptuous sins that I commit a greater sinne in thinking them more infinite then thy mercy But Lord thy mercies have no date nor is thy goodnesse circumscribed The gates of thy compassion are alwayes open to a broken heart and promise entertainment to a contrite spirit the burthen of my sinnes is grievous and the remembrance of my hypocrisie is intolerable I have sinned against thy Majesty with a high hand but I repent mee from the bottome of an humble heart As thou hast therefore given mee sorrow for my sinnes so crowne that gift in the freenesse of remission Bee fully reconcil'd to me through the all-sufficient merits of thy Sonne my Saviour and seal in my afflicted heart the full assurance of thy gratious favour Be thou exalted O God above the heavens and let mee praise thee with a single heart cleanse thou my inward parts O God and purifie the closet of my polluted soul fix thou my heart O thou searcher of all secrets and keep my affections wholly to thee Remove from mee all by and base respects that I may serve thee with an upright spirit take not the word of trueth out of my mouth nor give me over to deceitfull lips Give mee an inward reverence of thy Majesty that I might openly confesse thee in the truth of my sincerity Be thou the only object and end of all my actions and let thy honour be my great reward Let not the hopes of filthy lucre or the praise of men incline mee to thee neither let the pleasures of the world nor the feares of any losse entice me from thee Keep from mee those judgements my hypocrisie hath deserved and strengthen my resolution to abhorre my former life Give mee strength O God to serve thee with a perfect heart in the newnesse of life that I may bee dellvered from the old man and the snares of death then shall I praise thee with my entire affections glorifie thy name for ever and eâ—r The Ignorant mans faltering YOu tell mee and you tell me that I must be a good man and serve God and doe his will and so I doe for ought I know
I am sure I am as good as God has made mee and I can make my self no better so I cannot And as for serving God I am sure I go to Church as well as the best in the Parish though I bee not so fine and I make no question if I had better cloathes but I should doe God as much credit as another man though I say it And as for doing Gods will I befhrew mee I leave that to them that are booke-learn'd and can doe it more wisely I beleeve the Vicar of our Parish can doe it and has done it too as well as any within five miles of his head and what need I trouble my selfe to doe what is so well done already I hope hee being so good a Churchman and so great a Schollard and can speake Latine too would not leave that to so simple a man as I. It is enough for mee to know that God is a good man and that the ten Commandements are the best prayers in all the book unlesse it be the Creede And that I must love my neighbour as well as he loves mee and for all other Quilicoms they shall never trouble my braines an grace a God Let mee goe a sundayes and serve God obey the King God blesse him doe no man no wrong say the Lords Prayer every morning and evening follow my worke give a Noble to the poore at my death and then say Lord have mercy upon mee go away like a Lambe I make no question but I shall deserve heaven as well as hee that weares a gayer coate But yet I am not so ingrant neither nor have not gone so often to Church but I know Christ died for mee too as well as for any other man I 'de bee sorry else and that next to our Vicar I shall goe to heaven when a I am dead as soone as another nay more I know there bee two Sacraments bread and wine and but two though the Papists say there be six or seven and that I verily beleeve I shall be saved by those Sacraments and that I love God above all or else 't were pity of my life and that when I am dead and rotten as our Vicar told mee I shall rise again and be the same man I was But for that hee must excuse mee till I have better sartifaction for all his learning hee cannot make me such a fool unlesse he shew me a better reason for 't then yet he has done His Award BUt one thing hee told mee now I think on 't troubles me woundly namely that God is my Master all which I confesse and that I must do his will whether I know how to doe it or no or else it will goe ill with me I le read it he said out of Gods Bible and I shall remember the words so long as I have a day to live which are these Hee that knoweth not his masters will and doth things worthy of stripes shall be beaten with few stripes Luke 12. 48. 1 Cor. 14. 20. Brethren be not children in understanding howbeit in malice be ye children but in understanding be men His Proofs 1 Cor. 15. 34. Awake to righteousnesse and sin not for some have not the knowledge of God I speak it to your shame Ephes 4. 18. Walk not in the vanity of your minds having the understanding darkened being alienated from the life of God through the Ignorance which is in you because of the blindnesse of your hearts Levit. 5. 17. And if a soule sin and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the Commandments of the Lord though be wisâ— it not yet is hee guilty and shall beare his iniquity 2 Thes. 1. 7 8. The Lord Jesus shall bee revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God Greg. Mag. Moral It is good to know much and to live well but if we cannot attain both it is better to desire piety then wisdome for knowledge makes no man happy nor doth blessednesse consist in intellectuals The onely brave thing is a religious life Just Mart. Resp. ad orthod. To sin against knowledge is so much the greater offence then an ignorant trespasse by how much the crime which is capable of no excuse is more hainous then the fault which admits a tolerable plea His Soliloquie HOw wel it had been for thee O my soule if I had bookelarnd Alas I cannot read and what I heare I cannot understand I cannot profit as I should and therefore cannot be as good as I would for which I am right sorry That I cannot serve as wel as my betters hath bin often a great griefe to mee and that I have beene so ignorant in good things hath been a great heart-breaking unto mee I can say no prayers for want of knowledge to read but Our Father and the Creed But the comfort is God knows my heart but I trust in God Our Father being made by Christ himselfe will be enough for mee that know not how to make a better I endeavour to doe all our Vicar bids me and when I receive the Communion I truly forgive all the world for a fortnight after or such a matter but then some old injury makes mee forget my selfe but I cannot help it an my life should lie on t O my ingrant soule what shall I doe to bee saved All that I can say is Lord have mercy upon me and all that I can doe is but to doe my good will and that I le doe with all my heart and say my prayers too as well as God will give me leave an grace a God His Prayer O God the Father of heaven have mercy upon me miserable sinner I am as I must needs confesse a sinfull man as my forefathers were before mee I have heard many Sermons and have had many good lessons from the mouths of painfull Ministers but through the dulnesse of my understanding and for want of learning I have not profited so much as else I should have done spare me therefore O God spare me whom thou hast redeemed with thy pretious blood and bee not angry for ever I must confesse the painfulnesse of my calling and the heavinesse of my own nature hath taken from mee the delight of hearing thy Word and the ignorance of learning which I was never brought up to hath kept me from reading it that insomuch in stead of growing better I feare I have grown worse and worse and have bin so far from doing thy will that I doe not understand what thy will is very well But thou O mercifull God that didst reveale thy self to poore Shepherds and Fishermen that had no more learning then I have mercy upon me for Jesus Christ his sake Thou that hast promised to instruct the simple and to lead the ignorant into thy way be good and mercifull to mee I beseech thee Thou that drawest the needy out of the dust and the poore
regaine a desperate debt which is as good as nothing be the fruits and sign of a bad conence God help the good Come tell not mee of griping and Oppression The world is hard and he that hopes to thrive must gripe as hard What I give I give and what I lend I lend If the way to heaven bee to turne begger upon earth let them take it that like it I know not what ye call Oppression The Law is my direction but of the two it is more profitable to oppresse then to bee opprest If debtors would bee honest and discharge our hands were bound but when their failing offends my bags they touch the Apple of my eye and I must right them His Punishment BUt hah what voice is this that whispers in mine eare The Lord will spoil the soul of the Oppressors Prov. 22. 23. Pro. 21. 22. Rob not the poor because he is poore neither oppresse the afflicted in the gates for the Lord wil plead their cause and spoile the soule of those that have spoyled him Ezek. 22. 19. The people of the land have used oppression and exercised Robbery and have vexed the poor and needy yea they have oppressed the stranger wrongfully Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath Zach. 7. 9. Execute true judgement and shew mercy campâ—ssion on every man to his brother and oppresse not the widow nor the fatherlesse nor the stranger nor the poore and let none of you imagine evill in your hearts against his brother But they refused to hearken therefore came a great wrath from the Lord of Hosts His Proofes Bernard p. 1691. We ought so to care for our selves as not to neglect the due regard of our neighbour Bern. ibid. He that is not mercifull to another shall not find mercy from God but if thou wil'st bee mercifull and compassionate thou shalt bee a benefactor to thy owne soule His Soliloquy IS it wisdom in thee O my soul to covet a happinesse or rather to account it so that is sought for with a judgement obtained with a Curse and punished with damnation And to neglect that good which is assured with a promise purchased with a blessing and rewarded with a Crowne of Glory Canst thou hold a full estate a good pennyworth which is bought with the deare price of thy Gods displeasure Tell mee what continuance can that Inheritance promise that is raised upon the ruines of thy Brother Or what mercy canst thou expect from heaven that hast denyed all mercy to thy Neighbour O my hard-hearted soul consider and relent Build not an house whose posts are subject to be rotted with a curse Consider what the God of truth hath threatned against thy cruelty Relent and turn compassionate that thou mayst be capable of his compassion on If the desire of Gold hath hardened thy heart let the tears of true Repentance mollifie it soften it with Aarons oyntment untill it become wax to take the impression of that seale which must confirme thy Pardon His Prayer BUt will my God bee now entreated Is not my crying sin too loud for pardon am I not sunk too deep into the jaws of Hell for thy strong arme to rescue Hath not the hardnesse of my heart made me uncapable of thy compassion O if my teares might wash away my sin my head should turne a living Spring Lord I have heard thee speake and am affraid the word is past and thy judgements have found me out Fearfulnesse and trembling are come upon mee and the Jaws of hell have overwhelmed mee I have oppressed thy poore and added affliction to the afflicted and the voyce of their misery is come before thee They besought mee with teares and in the anguish of their souls but I have stopt mine ears against the cry of their complaint But Lord thou walkest not the ways of man and remembrest mercy in the middest of thy wrath for thou art good and gracious and ready to forgive and plenteous in compassion to all that shall call upon thee Forgive mee O God my sins that are past and deliver me from the guilt of my Oppression Take from mee O God this heart of stone and create in my breast a heart of flesh Asswage the vehemency of my desires to the things below and satisfie my soul with the sufficiency of thy Grace Inflame my affections that I may love thee with a filiall love and incline me to relie upon thy fatherly providence Let me account godlinesse my greatest gaine and subdue in me my lusts after filthy lucre Preserve me O Lord from the vanity of self-love and plant in my affections the true love of my neighbours Endue my heart with the bowells of compassion and then reward me according to thy righteousnesse Direct mee O God in the wayes of my life and let a good Conscience be my continuall comfort Give me a willing heart to make restitution of what I have wrongfully gotten by oppression Grant me a lawfull use of all thy Creatures and a thankfull heart for all thy benefits Be mercifull to all those that groan under the burden of their owne wants and give them patience to expect thy deliverance Give me a heart that may acknowledge thy favours and fill my tongue with praise and thanksgiving that living here a new life I may become a new creature and being ingraffed in thee by the power of thy grace I may bring forth fruit to thy honour and glory The Drunkards Jubile VVHat Complement will the severer world allow to the vacant houres of frolique-hearted youth How shall their free their joviall spirits entertain their time their friends What Oyle shall bee infused into the lampe of deare society if they deny the priviledge of a civill rejoycing Cup It is the life the radicall humour of united soules whose love-digested heat even ripens and ferments the greene materialls of a plighted faith without the help whereof new married friendship fals into divorce and joyn'd acquaintance soon resolves into the first Elements of strangenesse What mean these strict Reformers thus to spend their houâ—e-glasses and bawle against our harmless Cups to call our meetings Riots and brand our civil mirth with stiles of loose Intemperance where they can sit at a sisters Feast devoure and gurmundize beyond excesse and wipe the guilt from off their marrowed mouths and cloath their surfeits in the long fustian robes of a tedious Grace Is it not much better in a faire friendly Round since youth must have a swing to steep our soule-afflicting sorrows in a chirping Cup then hazard our estates upon the abuse of providence in a foolish cast at Dice Or at a Cockpit leave our doubtfull fortunes to the mercy of unmercifull contention Or spend our wanton dayes in sacrificing costly presents to a fleshly Idoll Was not Wine given to exhilarate the drooping hearts and raise the drowzie spirits of dejected souls Is not the liberall Cup
for this no day designed but At what time soever If my unseasonable heart should seek him now the work would bee too serious for so green a seeker My thoughts are yet unsetled my fancy yet too too gamesome my judgment yet unsound my Will unsanctified to seeke him with an unprepared heart is the high way not to find him or to find him with unsetled resolution is the next way to lose him and indeed it wants but little of profanenesse to bee unseasonably religious What is once to bee done is long to bee deliberated Let the boyling pleasures of the rebellious flesh evaporate a little and let me draine my boggy soul from those corrupted inbred humors of collapsed nature and when the tender blossomes of my youthfull vanity shall begin to fade my setled understanding will begin to knot my solid judgement will begin to ripen my rightly guided will be resolved both what to seek and when to find and how to prize till then my tender youth in her pursuit will bee disturb'd with every blast of honour diverted with every fâ—ash of pleasure misled by Counsell turned back with feare puzled with doubt interrupted by passion withdrawne with prosperity and discourag'd with adversity His Repulse TAke heed my soule when thou hast lost thy self in thy journey how wilt thou finde thy God at thy journeys end Whom thou hast lost by too long delay thou wilt hardly find with too late a diligence Take time while time shall serve that day may come wherein Thou shalt seek the Lord but shalt not finde him Hos. 5. 6. Esay 55. 6. Seek the Lord while he may be found call upon him while ne is neare Heb. 12. 17. Hee found no place for repentance though he sought it with tears carefully Thou fool this night will I take thy soule from thee Revel. 2. 21. I gave her a space to repent but shee repented not Behold therefore I will cast her His Proofs Greg. lib. Mor. Seek God whilst thou canst not see him for when thou seest him thou canst not find him seek him by hope and thou shalt finde him by faith In the day of grace hee is invisible but neare in the day of judgement he is visible but far off Ber. Ser. 24. If we would not seâ—k God in vaine lâ—t us seek him in truth often and constantly let us not seeke another in stead of him nor any other thing with him nor for any other thing leave him His Soliloquie O My soul thou hast sought wealth and hast either not found it or cares with it thou hast sought for pleasure and hast found it but no comfort in it Thou soughtest honour and hast found it and perchance fallen with it Thou soughtest friendship and hast found it false society and hast found it vaine And yet thy God the fountaine of all wealth pleasure honour friendship and society thou hast slighted as a toy not worth the finding Be wise my soule and blush at thy own folly Set thy desires on the right objâ—ct Seek wisdom and thou shalt find knowledge and wealth and honour and length of days Seek heaven and earth shall seek thee and deferre not thy Inquest lest thou lose thy opportunity to day thou maist find him whom to morrow thou mayst seek with teares and misse Yesterday is too late to morrow is uncertain to day is onely thine I but my soule I feare my too long delay hath made this day too late fear not my soul he that has given thee his Grace to day will forget thy neglect of yesterday seek him therefore by true repentance and thou shalt finde him in thy Prayer His Prayer O God that like thy precious Word art hid to none but who are lost and yet art found by all that seek thee with an upright heart cast downe thy gracious eye upon a lost sheep of Israel strayed through the vanity of his unbridled youth and wandred in the wildernesse of his own invention Lord I have too much delighted in mine own ways and have put the evil day too far from me I have wallowed in the pleasures of this deceitfull world which perish in the using have neglected thee my God at whose right hand are pleasures for â—vermore I have drawn on iniquity as with cart-ropes and have committed evill with greedinesse I have quencht the motions of thy good spirit and have delayed to seek thee by true and unfained repentance In stead of seeking thee whom I have lost I have withdrawne my self from thy presence when thou hast sought me It were but justice therefore in thee to stop thine eares at my petitions or turn my Prayers as sin into my bosome But Lord thou art a gracious God and full of pity and unwearyed compassion and thy loving kindnes is from generation to generation Lord in not seeking thee I have utterly lost my self and if thou find me not I am lost for ever and if thou find me thou canst not but find me in my sins and then thou find'st me to my owne destruction How miserable O Lord is my condition How necessary is my confusion that have neglected to seek thee and therefore am afraid to bee found of thee But Lord if thou look upon the all-sufficient merits of thy Son thy justice will bee no loser in shewing mercy upon a sinner In his name therefore I present my self before thee in his merits I make my humble approach unto thee in his name I offer up my feeble Prayers for his merits grant me my petitions Call not to minde the rebellions of my flesh and remember not O God the vanities of my youth Inflame my heart with the love of thy presence and relish my meditations with the pleasure of thy sweetnesse Let not the consideration of thy justice overwhelm me in despaire nor the meditation of thy mercy perswade mee to presume Sanctifie my will by the wifdome of thy Spirit that I may desire thee as the chiefest good Quicken my desires with a fervent zeale that I may seeke my Creator in the dayes of my youth â—each mee to seeke thee according to thy will and then bee found according to thy promise that living in mee here by thy grace I may hereafter raign with thee in glory The Hypocrites prevarication THere is no such stuffe to make a cloake on as Religion nothing so fashionable nothing so profitable it is a Livery wherein a wise man may serve two Masters God and the world and make a gainefull service by either I serve both and in both my selfe in prevaricating with both Before man none serves his God with more severe devotion for which among the best of men I work my own ends and serve my self In private I serve the world not with so strict devotion but with more delight where fulfilling of her servants lusts I work my end and serve my self The house of Prayer who more frequents then I in all Christian duties who more forward then I I fast
makes us the happiest of all subjects makes us the happiest of all people A land of strength of plenty and a land of peace where every soule may sit beneath his Vine unfrighted at the horrid language of the hoarse Trumpet unstartled at the warlike summons of the roaring Cannon A land whose beauty hath surpriz'd the ambitious hearts of forrain Princes and taught them by their martiall Oratory to make their vaine attempts A land whose strength reades vanity in the deceived hopes of Conquerours and crowns their enterprizes with a shamefull overthrow A land whose native plenty makes her the worlds Exchange supplying others able to subsist without supply from forraigne Kingdomes in it selfe happy and abroad honorable A land that hath no vanity but what by accident proceeds and issues from the sweetest of all blessings peace and plenty that hath no misery but what is propagated from that blindness which cannot see her own felicitie A land that flowes with Milk and Honey and in briefe wants nothing to deserve the title of a Paradise the Curbe of Spaine the pride of Germany the ayde of Belgia the scourge of France the Empresse of the world and Queene of Nations She is begirt with walls whose builder was the hand of heaven whereon there daily rides a Navy Royall whose unconquerable power proclaimes her Prince invincible and whispers sad despaire into the fainting hearts of forraigne Majesty She is compact within her selfe in unity not apt to civill discords or intestine broyles The envie of all nations the ambition of all Princes the terror of all enemies the security of all neighbouring States Let timerous Pulpits threaten ruine let prophecying Church-men dote till I beleeve How often and how long have these loud sonnes of Thunder false prophesied her desolation and yet she stands the glory of the world Can pride demolish the Towers that defend her Can drunkennesse dry up the Sea that walls her Can flames of lust dissolve the Ordnance that protect her His overthrow BEe well advised my soule there is a voyee from heaven roare louder then those Ordnance which saith Thus saith the Lord The whole land shall be desolate Jer. 4. 27. Esay 14. 7. The whole earth it at rest and at quiet they break forth into singing Yea the Firee trees rejoyee at thee and the Cedars of Lebanon sing c. Yet shalt thou be brought down to hell to the sides of the Pit Ier. 5. 12. They have belied the Lord and said it is not he neither shall evill come upon us neither shall we see sword or famine 1 Cor. 10. 12. Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Luke 17. 26. They did eat and drink and they married wives and were given in marriage untill the flood came and destroyed them all His Proofs Greg. Mor. A man may as soon build a Castle upon the rouling waves as ground a solid comfort upon the unceriaine ebbs and fluxes of transient pleasures St. Augustine Whilst Lot was exercised in sâ—ffering reproach and violence he continued holy and pure even in the filth of Sodom but in the mount being in peace and safety he was surprised by sensuall security and defiled himselfe with his owne daughters Our prosperous and happy state is often the occasion of more miserabl ruine a long peace hath made many men both carelesse and cowardly and that 's the most fatall blow when an unexpected enemy surprises us in a deep sleep of peace and security Greg. Mag. His Soliloquy SEcurity is an improvident carelesnesse casting out all fear of approaching danger It is like a great Calme at Sea that sore-runs a storme How is this verified O my sad soule in this our bleeding nation Wer 't thou not but now for many yeares even nuzzlâ—d in the bosome of habituall peace Didst thou foresee this danger Or couldst thou have contrived a way to be thus miserable Didst thou not laugh invasion to scorne or didst thou not lesse feare a Civill war Was not the Title of the Crown unquestionable And was not our mixt government unapt to fall into diseases Did we want good Lawes or did our Lawes want execution Did not our Prophets give lawfull warning or were we moved at the sound of judgements How hast thou liv'd O my uncarefull soule to see these prophesies fulfill'd and to behold the vials of thy angry God pour'd forth Since mercies O my soule could not allure thee yet let these judgements now at length enforce thee to a true Repentance Quench the Firebrand which thou hast kindled turne thy mirth to a right mourning and thy feasts of joy to humiliation His Prayer O God by whom kings reign and kingdoms flourish that settest up where none can batter down and pullest down where none can countermand I a most humble Sutor at the Throne of Grace acknowledge my selfe unworthy of the least of all thy mercies nay worthy of the greatest of all thy judgements I have sinned against thee the author of my being I have sinned against my conscience which thou hast made my accuser I have sinned against the peace of this Kingdom wherof thou hast made mee a member If all should doe O God as I have done Sodom would appeare as righteous and Gomorrah would be a president to thy wrath upon this sinfull Nation But Lord thy mercy is inscrutable or else my misery were unspeakable for that mercy sake bee gratious to me in the free pardoning of all my offences Blot them out of thy remembrance for his sake in whom thou art well pleased Make my head a fountaine of teares to quench that brand my sinnes have kindled towards the destruction of this flourishing kingdome Blesse this kingdom O God establish it in piety honour peace and plenty Forgive all her crying sinnes and remove thy judgements farre from her Blesse her Governour thy servant our dread Soveraign endue his soule with all religious civill and princely vertues Preserve his royall person in health safety and prosperity prolong his days in honour peace or victory and crown his death with everlasting glory Blesse him in his royall Consort unite their hearts in love and true Religion Blesse him in his princely issue Season their youth with the feare of thy Name Direct thy Church in doctrine and in discipline and let her enemies bee converted or confounded purge her of all superstition and heresie and root out from her whatsoever thy hand hath not planted Blesse the Nobility of this Land endue their hearts with truth loyalty and true policy Blesse the Tribe of Levi with piety learning and humility Blesse the Magistrates of this kingdome give them religious upright hearts hating covetousnesse Blesse the Gentry with sincetity charity and a good conscience Blesse the Commonalty with loyall hearts painfull hands and plentifull encrease Blesse the two great Seminaries of this kingdom make them fruitfull and faithfull Nurseries both to the Church and Common-wealth Blesse all thy Saints every where especially those that have stood